July - December 2004 Meeting Minutes
Here's What Happened at the Meeting on Monday, July 19, 2004
Meeting opened by the President in due form. Brother St. John was not present, due to unavoidable circumstances.
Members present: Brother's and Sister’s R Balkowitsch, R. Etienne, Dean Richardson, Kris Atwood, Bill Knowles,
Kelli Taylor, Marc Taylor, Merlin Fischer, and Retired member Monte Siebold.
Minutes of the June meeting were waived
Financial Report - Due to the absence of the Secretary Treasurer, the financial report was not made. A motion to pay the bills was made by Brother Richardson, and approved by Brother Atwood.
Legislative
Rep:
There was no report from the Legislative Rep. this month
Local Chairman:
1.
New Garbage train assignment - A new garbage train
is coming down to go to Roosevelt. This train will run in the pool for a time to
see if the schedule is regular enough to make a regular assignment out of it.
It’s possible that this train may be run the same as the daylight garbage flip
to Wishram.
2. GCA Meeting - Was held the week of June 28 2004. Dennis Pierce was reelected by acclamation. Brothers Wilson, Bratka, and May were all reelected by acclamation again. Brothers Don Helander, Trick Olsen and Charlie Sheets were each elected as alternates to the GCA.
3. LE&CMPA – Job insurance fund is offering to allow anyone who chooses to transfer their existing job insurance to them to carry over any job insurance seniority they now have. This means those that transfer may start off with full benefits, depending on how long they were with their previous insurance fund..
4. Trainmen Joining BLET - There are currently around 1300 new trainmen in the BLET since the merger. Each locomotive engineer will receive 5 pamphlets in the mail soon. These are to be passed out to our brothers and sisters who don’t know about BLET.
5. Reporting Emergency Brake Applications – A crew has been cited for failure to report an emergency brake application. The ABTH rules require that we report any emergency application that occurs during our tour of duty. This even applies if we have a dynamiter in our train. Please comply. It’s not worth getting in trouble over. It’s their rules – we simply follow them.
6. Alignment Control Couplers – Current rules require that we know if the engines in our consist are equipped with alignment control couplers or not. We are allowed by rule to have only one locomotive that is not equipped with alignment control couplers in our consist. This unit is to be the 2nd out motor in the consist. Since no computer will tell if any of these old locomotives are so equipped, you will need to ask the roundhouse to come out and look at them. The only way to tell is to look in the coupler housing and see if the drawbar has “ears” on each side, limiting the amount they can go to the side of the housing. Please comply.
7. BN-ATSF Transfer Agreement - There was more discussion about this proposal. The agreement was created to allow the opportunity for those wishing to cross a formerly impenetrable barrier. This agreement will allow those engineers wishing to go from BN to ATSF and from ATSF to BN. Their seniority will remain intact on their home district, and they would take the date of their first trip (paid or unpaid). Any employees in current LETP’s would, upon successful completion of their training, be placed ahead of those transferees. This agreement would close the loop holes in certain merged seniority districts where ATSF engineers can work on BN property. The agreement was voted on and passed 7 for, 1 against. There were also 4 proxy votes for this agreement. This means, the agreement passed 11-4. This division will vote AYE on the proposed agreement.
8.
Resolutions
passed at the GCA meeting included –
·
Attempt
agreement calling for held away until 1hour prior to train departure.
·
Attempt agreement to allow HAHT after legal rest.
·
Attempt agreement to allow more job/income
protection.
·
Attempt agreement to require A/C units on lead.
·
Attempt agreement to allow for higher
certification pay.
·
Attempt agreement to allow internet access at
AFHT.
·
Attempt agreement to allow 1 hour pay for
inspecting locos.
·
Attempt agreement to allow larger footwear
selection.
·
Attempt agreement to allow better 401k plan.
·
Attempt agreement to allow extra pay for those
who stay marked up on weekends.
·
Attempt agreement to allow differential in pay
for night hours.
·
Attempt agreement to allow release of forced
engineer in another zone if release letter on file, and younger engr. demoted in
adjacent zone.
·
Attempt agreement to allow lodging per diem for
forced engineers.
·
Attempt agreement to allow for DP pay.
·
Attempt agreement to allow for interest to be
paid by carrier for claims cut for no reason.
·
Attempt agreement to allow for booking additional
rest. I.E. up to 24 hours.
·
Attempt agreement to allow up to 20 AL days.
9. NetSim – Be sure to be on time for your NetSim session. If you are late, they won’t let you take the simulator. Don’t forget the written test part too. If the NetSim is broken on a day you had to come in, be sure to document it with a carrier officer in order to be paid properly.
10. RCO observations - Please keep complaints coming in.
Floor was opened for discussion.
Again, this Division voted to skip the August meeting. Our next scheduled meeting will be September 20 at 1:00 pm
Motion to close by Sister Taylor, seconded by Brother Richardson. Motion passed. The meeting was closed.
There was no meeting in August due to summer vacations.
Here's What Happened at the Meeting on Monday, September 20 2004
Meeting opened by the LC in due form. President out of town and unavailable.
Members present: Brother's and Sister’s R. Etienne, D. St. John, T. Reddish, W. Boomgaarden and R. Reams.
There was no meeting in August so July minutes were read. Motion to accept as read by Brother Reams, Seconded by Brother Reddish. Motion approved.
Financial Report: We currently have 110 members and 1 trainman. All the increases by the International (.68), GCA (1.00) and WSLB (4.00) have been completed as of this month. These amounts have been absorbed by the local and it appears that we will be able to continue to absorb this amount without passing it on to the members at this time. We may in future have to re-look at this issue. The laptop we have had since 1995 finally crashed on us. The President directed the Sec-Treasurer to investigate and replace this computer. After looking at several manufacturers locally and on the internet, we purchased a Toshiba for $999.00. This computer is sufficiently complete to replace both the laptop lost and the desktop at the office. Total with docking port and accessories required come to a total of $1200.00. We may have to look at upgrading our software. We will look at that as time goes along. The bills were read and the floor was opened for discussion. Motion to pay the bills by Brother Reams, seconded by Brother Boomgaarden. Motion passed.
Legislative Rep: No report made.
Local Chairman:
New Garbage train assignment. Because of erratic schedule and lack of commitment, no assignment will be made. When commitment is given, will look at assignment again.
Lull in business. Bare tables are on hold for a while. Grain is in a lull at the moment. More expected in several weeks. May be slow for 2-4 weeks.
61 Car. Because of LYD being moved to 900am, new train needed for 61 car. Only yard make up left is the PASINB. This is why we re-bulletined the jobs. We can’t control when they run their trains. Only other option was to cancel 61 car agreement.
Emergency applications. BNSF is second guessing our use of emergency applications. Can be listed as “at risk” employees. Will be ops failed if emergency application is used for banner test. If you are told you are an “at risk” or “red” employee, let this committee know right away.
Trainmen joining. Keep those pamphlets going out to trainmen who are interested in becoming BLET members. Let this committee know if you need more.
Reporting Emergency Applications. Crew has been cited for failure to report emergency applications. Be sure to report to dispatcher EVERY time your train goes into emergency. Carrier is getting picky about it. ABTH rule requires this.
Alignment control couplers. Can only have one engine without in consist. Must be 2nd out in consist. Only way to tell is to look. Drawbar will have “ears” on each side if so equipped. If not sure, call roundhouse to come look at it.
BN-SF transfer agreement. The system transfer agreement passed. It’s now in effect on the property.
Claims for arbitraries when deadheading on assigned cars. Carrier is no longer paying arbitraries when deadheading on the assigned cars. Be sure to give me the tickets and any info needed. It is essential to know which assigned car the claim is for.
Net-Sim. Be sure to be on time or you will not be able to do the netsim. If you miss more than one day or trip due to netsim, be sure to claim the pay. Don’t forget written test along with netsim.
Attendance Guidelines. Carrier is becoming hard nosed on attendance. They will have investigations no matter the reasons for the layoffs. Heavy vacations are over. Manpower is now available for them to play hardball. Be aware of this.
RCO observations. Please keep complaints coming in. Any information you have on the incident at T-6 at Oregon Transfer is needed. Was there a blue flag? The carrier insists there was not. Still not getting reports of incidents. Pictures would be great.
Willbridge Incident. Switch crew sent a car down empty track at Willbridge. Ran into side of PTLPAS. Evidently no notice of investigation. Need info on who, when, time, etc.
Jury Duty. LR has a new interpretation of jury duty pay. This violates agreements. If you aren’t paid properly, be sure to let us know ASAP.
Make whole pay. If you put in for make whole, and don’t get paid, or get paid wrong, be sure to let us know right away. Payroll has been spanked recently on their lack of make whole abilities.
Floor was opened for discussion.
Motion to close by Brother Boomgaarden, seconded by Brother Reddish. Motion passed. The meeting was closed.
Here's What Happened at the Meeting on Monday, October 18 2004
Meeting opened by the President in due form.
Members present: Brothers and Sisters R. Balkowitsch, R. Etienne, D. St. John, C. Nibler, R. Wuitschick, L. Weed, M. Taylor, K. Taylor, B. Knowles and M. Fischer, D. Haney, T. Nollette, J. Bennett, M. Weatherholt, R. Collins and Special Guest P. Bovarnick.
The September minutes were read by the Secretary. Motion to accept as read by Brother Haney, Seconded by Brother Bennett. Motion approved.
Financial Report: We currently have 108 members and 1 trainman. We have received a request by the GCA to move our dues payments to the second half. This will bring all divisions into agreement. It will also put the dues payments and insurance payments into separate half’s. There was discussion about which half we currently have our dues come out of now. The President instructed the Secretary-Treasurer to look into this subject and report later. Bills were presented and floor opened for discussion. Motion to pay the bills by Brother Weed and seconded by Brother Reddish. Motion passed.
Legislative Rep: WUTC meeting for point protection was postponed by the railroads. ‘Bill will attend when this happens. The only question is do they have the authority. The FRA was delivered a letter on their remote study. Sounds like they are stalling. Bill will post the AFL-CIO recommendations for the election. No matter who you chose, please vote.
Safety Rep: There are now lights up at Wishram, what does everyone thing. There were some trailers that blocked the view on the y at t-6. They have been moved but please let us know if they start parking again. Colt radios are being put on the head end on trains going to Pasco. These are not supposed to be on the head end, please let us know. Rough riding engines should be reported ASAP. We have had a lot of these engines showing up. Report the engine numbers and train numbers to terry or Rick. Again, please vote.
Special Guest: Paul Bovarnick gave a brief presentation. He again encouraged everyone to vote and briefly discussed what legal issues were at stake. Rough riding engines are a major concern on all railroads and should be reported to the proper authority.
Local Chairman:
Everyone continue to have good job briefings and observe all safety rules. There have been three fatalities recently. We don’t want to lose anyone. Don’t let them rush you. Make sure you are aware of the level of experience and abilities of your co-workers.
Several questions were brought up concerning unsafe practices. If you want these issues addressed, please fill out an unsafe condition report. This is the only way they will address these situations. PUT IT IN WRITING OR IT WILL BE IGNORED BY MANAGEMENT.
Ops testing has been heavy on the north lines this last week. Detectors not turned on, Form B’s with flags down. Radio procedures are also being looked at with tapes being pulled. Banner tests are also being done in the terminal, including other railroads, and tracks. They can ops test on any track at any time, but they won't ops test on yard tracks where it would not be expected to watch each shove.
Floor was opened for discussion.
Motion to close by Brother Haney, seconded by Brother Knowles. Motion passed. The meeting was closed.
Here's What Happened at the Meeting on Monday, November 15 2004
Meeting opened by the Local Chairman, President not present due to illness.
Members present: R. Etienne, D. St. John, C. Marsh, R. Huelle, W. Boomgaarden, J. McHenry, D. Green and B. Knowles.
The October minutes were read by the Secretary. Motion to accept as read by Brother Boomgaarden, Seconded by Brother Marsh. Motion approved.
Financial Report: We currently have 110 members and 1 trainman. We just received this morning the paperwork from the international, so payments to the Int. GCA and WSLB were estimated. Bills were presented and floor opened for discussion. Motion to pay the bills by Brother Huelle and seconded by Brother McHenry. Motion passed.
Legislative Rep: The WUTC committee has not met yet. Brother Knowles will attend when this happens and report as to the results. The Carrier’s have been putting enormous pressure on these people and they may be wavering at this point. Only time will tell.
Local Chairman:
Roll by’s – There have been some failures for not performing roll by’s. The engineer is responsible to call the train and inform them of the roll by. You do not have to get off the train. You are not responsible for the conductor to do his job, but you must do yours.
Section 6 notices are out - Copies of the notice were available for everyone. The BNSF has expressed the desire to withdraw from national handling. This is not the final word and we shall see what happens.
Shared values - The carrier is rolling this out soon. It is a way to address safety concerns. Also way to bridge barriers between the carrier and the organization. More info to follow. We are interested in safety, so let’s see what it’s all about. Follows same principle of current closed loop safety process.
Vacation Allocations - Continuing problem with allocations. BNSF wants to reduce slots again. We had no problems with staffing jobs last year. We never had all demoted engineers set up at this location. We have appealed to the GCA for assistance. We will probably do vacation scheduling in early December.
Maintenance Fees - There are currently no plans to have Maintenance Fees here. It should only be in areas where UTU has instituted fees. The UTU slant is to blame the BLE for fees, but that is a LIE. We should not have a problem here as we have no issues on this currently with the UTU at this location.
Locomotive Cab Conditions – When inspecting engines, be sure to inspect toilets. If you have a b/o toilet, you must allow carrier to try to fix it. Claims for CC won’t be valid without carrier specifically refusing to fix problem. Empower yourself. Make sure you have ample water and crew packs. With locomotives left at Willbridge or Lake Yard, be sure everything works and you have all the supplies needed. If not equipped, don’t take it. Don’t let the carrier force you out of town without them refusing to fix the problem. If FRA defects, don’t take the locomotive out of either Vancouver or Pasco.
Held away in Pasco - Currently, we are sending reports to carrier almost daily about the Held away problem. Currently, BNSF has multitude of reasons, none of them are valid. We will continue to bombard them with facts and figures, trying to embarrass them into fixing it.
Claims for Arbitraries when deadheading on assigned cars - Carrier is no longer paying arbitraries when deadheading on assigned cars. Be sure to give me the tickets and any info needed. It is essential to know which assigned car the claim is for. Please be sure to note your assignment on the ticket in the FE column.
Bare Tables at Avery – Carrier is parking bare tables at Avery again. Wishram is not authorized to go to Avery to put train together. This work belongs to our XBD. If you either take one and leave it there, or see one there, be sure to get the engine number and leave it for me. This way I can track the train call when Wishram gets the call, and put in a claim for our XBD.
Make whole pay – If you put in for make whole, and don’t get paid, or get paid wrong, be sure to let us know right away. Payroll has been spanked recently on their lack of make whole abilities.
Floor was opened for discussion.
Motion to close by Brother Green, seconded by Brother Huelle. Motion passed. The meeting was closed.
There was no meeting in December 2004 due to the holidays and vacation scheduling conflicts.